Australian sailors at 2020 ILCA Laser Radial Women's Championship - Day 1
by Clare Ridgway 23 Feb 2020 04:57 PST
21-28 February 2020
Day 1 start - 2020 ILCA Laser Radial Women's Championship © Jon West Photography
Mara Stansky has finished the first day of the Laser Radial Worlds in a top ten spot. The conditions were difficult today for the sailors and race officers with shifty lights winds swinging South to South East at 8 to 15 knots.
Only one race was completed per fleet as race management struggled to set the course. Blue Fleet had their race abandoned at the first top mark after a dramatic shift on the line.
Australian Sailing Team member Mara Stransky had a solid start with a fifth place after finding herself back in the fleet. "I sailed a keeper for day one. The wind wasn't really playing ball and we were sent in with only one race. I definitely didn't get all the shifts on the first beat. After that I tried to screw my head on a bit tighter and I went pretty well for the rest of the race."
Fifteen-year-old Mina Ferguson had a great first day finishing two places behind Stransky in the Blue Fleet. "It's a really competitive fleet," said Ferguson. "It's a lot tougher sailing with Olympians but it is good racing. I had a really good day today so hopefully I can keep the consistency up." This is Ferguson's first Open Worlds after she recently transitioned from the Laser 4.7. Last year Ferguson represented Australia at the 2019 Youth World Championships in Poland.
Australian Sailing Squad (ASS) member Elyse Ainsworth had a slow start to her regatta placing 32nd in her race. "It was pretty tough," said Ainsworth. "I had a few strategic errors that set me back. It was a day of limited mistakes but unfortunately I made quite a few. I can reset for tomorrow and try again."
In the Radial Men's Australians make up half of the top ten. Australia's representative at this year's Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships in Salvador, 17-year-old Michael Compton is coming second overall followed by Jordan Makin in third.
Three races are planned for tomorrow in expected light conditions.
For more information on the 2020 ILCA Laser Radial Women's World Championship and full results visit here.
Day One Results: (Laser Radial Women's (105 entries - two fleets of 50+, three days qualifying six races, then finals)
Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Squad (ASS) entries:
- 9th: Mara Stransky (AST) 5 - 5pts
- 63rd: Elyse Ainsworth 32 (AST) - 32pts
Other Australians in the Top Forty:
- 13th: Mina Ferguson 7 - 7pts
- 21st: Zoe Thomson 10 - 10pts
Laser Radial Men's (66 entries - three days qualifying six races, then finals) Australians in the Top Ten:
- 2nd: Michael Compton 2 - 2 pts
- 3rd: Jordan Makin 3 - 3 pts
- 7th: Stefan Elliott-Shircore 7 - 7 pts
- 9th: Rhett Gowans 9 - 9 pts
- 10th: Samuel King 10 - 10 pts